Offending Opinions (Updated from the original 11/18/14 post)

One of my fellow ministers posted this little tidbit (above), and I was amazed at how many of us actually identify with it.  Maybe it has to do with learning that you're not responsible for everyone else's happiness, or that you really don't give a rat's patoot what other people think of you.

Opinions can, at times, be offensive.  Oh, hell, let's not sugar coat it.  For some of us, opinions are more times than not, offensive.  I offend the members of the League of the Perpetually Offended all the time, which is no surprise.  They are, after all, perpetually offended.

One of the blessings of a free society, and free will, is that you can ignore what you don't find acceptable, change the channel, find another article, and voice your own opinion regardless of what anyone else tells you contrarily.  We all have to remember, that it is not our fault some people are proud, lifetime members of the League of the Perpetually Offended.

In posting about religion, abortion, and the like, I have run into quite a few members of the League.  Being tolerant of other people's opinions does not mean having to agree with them.  Sometimes just being tolerant of the opinion is tough enough.  I constantly work on patience, my big failing.  It used to be that, if I didn't agree with your opinion, I would beat that rabbit to death, run it over with the lawn mower, set it on fire, and, "Damn the torpedos!  Four bells.  Captain Drayton, go ahead!  Jouett, full speed!" 

Not one of my shining attributes.  

Mother always said my mouth will get me into trouble.  I'm happy to report she was right, as always, and my mouth still does.  For most of us, religion, politics, free speech, and patriotism make a volatile combination due to the high emotion which runs through the subject matter for, just about, everybody.  I'm quite aware of the lines I should not cross. I also have to work on self-control.

I guess, for me, the bigger questions would be why we offend, and why we are offended.  I think, for the most part, we offend because we are offended, or we feel threatened.  It is a knee-jerk defense mechanism when all good sense on both sides of an argument seems to have gone south for the duration.  I would think this reaction might be excused if the comment was aimed at one who was dying or dealing with some other debility.  If you haven't walked a mile in their shoes... I think you get my point.  But, even where death is concerned, I would think that if you are at peace with the facts and are ready to move on, the possibility of being offended would seem small potatoes for you.

If I have not offended you, yet, grow a broad set of shoulders, a thicker skin, learn to let crap roll off your back and, rest assured, I will get to you soon whether I intend to or not.  However, try to remember it is all just opinion, and our ability to voice an opinion is one of the few freedoms we, as a society, have not let anyone take from us... yet.  So... exercise your freedom of opinion!  

Don't worry about people's opinions of you when you do exercise your freedom.   If we are concerned about what others think of us, we might never voice our opinions or have meaningful conversations.  We would all agree with each other.  How boring would that be?  The trick here is to put on your "big boy" pants, wade into the fray, and intend to take no prisoners.  At the end of the day, though, take everyone, even those that haven't agreed with you, out for beer and pizza.  Call each other names, slap each other around, make rude comments about each other's lineage, and then shake hands and share a big kiss.  It is all just opinion!  Try to learn not to take everything so damned personal.

"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact.

Everything we see is perspective, not the truth."

-- Marcus Aurelius

But, opinion is not necessarily based on fact.  In a free, democratic society we rely on news agencies and journalists to give us the information required to make informed and intelligent decisions.  When these "news" agencies stop reporting facts and begin reporting opinions, or worse, when they bow to political pressure to report only that which is politically correct, we are left with information of questionable validity.  In the political arena, it means the government has lost the trust of the people.  In religion, it becomes a war of intolerance against those of different faiths or no faith at all, and God becomes the big loser.

Whenever we hear news or intelligence reports, we need to have the facts; who, what, when, where, how, and why.  If any one of these is questionable we need to be advised of such, and if a perspective is given, in place of fact, this also needs to be told to us upfront.  Perspective should not be based on personal bias but, rather, on those facts which are known.  Quotes should not be taken out of context, either.  Presenting information out of context, whether it's jobs numbers, unemployment numbers, Holy Scripture, or personal philosophy, is technically lying by omission.

"There are lies, damned lies, and statistics."

--Mark Twain

News agencies have been mired down with personal opinion, not with perspective, and certainly not in factually reporting the news.  This is not a new problem.  When I was in military Intelligence, we fell back on the Christian Science Monitor so many times for factual reporting that it became part of our annual subscription list.  You could pretty much trust the CSM analysis to be more spot-on than government intelligence agencies.  I haven't read the CSM since I retired from the Intelligence field in 1994, but I hope they have continued the philosophy of reporting facts.  Other news media, instead of getting better, has, in general, become a complete disaster to the point that reporters are dictated which stories to run by management with their own agenda which has more to do with sensationalism, or embarrassing a government or President they don't approve of.  Your marching orders?  Print the facts and lose your job.

"The slickest way in the world to lie is to tell the right amount of truth at the right time - and then shut up."

-- Robert A. Heinlein

Reporting should follow a logical process of thought, so people know what to expect.  Report the facts, and report perspective based on the facts, before stating any opinion of the perspective.  This opinion of the perspective should be what leans your reporting left or right of center, but the facts should never be colored by opinion or it is not credible journalism or reporting of the news.  Reporting the facts allows the reader to make their own conclusion to agree or disagree with the reporter's analysis, perspective, or opinion.  Your "freedom of opinion" is what everyone fears.

Is it any wonder we have Houston pastors being ordered by the mayor to turn over all of their sermons, riots in Missouri over facts that are held back in favor of assumption, or a Catholic pope "of change" who people fear might become another puppet of the ultra-conservative Vatican?

If you question these opinions of mine, good for you!  Now, do your own due diligence.  Go online and read some foreign newspapers.  See what they're reporting overseas that we aren't hearing at home.  Check out their opinion of us as a country, our leaders, and our world credibility.  Check out how "peaceful" Islam is really slamming hardline and radical Islamic thought over the terrorism issue.  This reporting is something we never hear, and it makes one wonder why.  More importantly, it should make us wonder what else the news and, by extension, the government aren't reporting factually, if at all.

"Every time I write something, I think, this is the most offensive thing I will ever write.  But, no.  I always surprise myself."

-- Chuck Palahniuk

I make a sincere effort, at the bottom of every post, to inform my readers that this is all just my opinion.  In my opinion, it is my perspective based on information that can be of questionable validity, although I do take care to try and use factual data.  Opinions presented in this context are springboards for conversation and debate.  

Sometimes, the opinions can be offensive.  I would like to say the offense is not intended, but, more times than not, it is, and I apologize for that.  If I haven't mentioned you by name in my opinion, try not to take it personally.  It is intended as a cold slap to an unsuspecting face in order to elicit a response, a contrary opinion, to wake up the spiritually lazy and/or those in a self-imposed emotional coma.

Hopefully, you will continue to follow my blog posts. I hope you will comment, or at least develop an opinion of your own, pro or con.  Agreeing with me is not necessarily the right course, it is just my course.  I do not edit comments to my posts, as long as they are reasonable.  If I do,  I will explain what the change was so the comment is not taken out of context, or I unintentionally offend.  When I do offend, my intent is that there be no doubt.

"People misinterpret what I say all the time:  They think I'm being offensive, when really, I'm only being opinionated."

-- Taylor Momsen

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with the United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and, finally, a senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world-renowned, Western Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research.

Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony:  tolerantpastor@gmail.com